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Problems and Purpose
Washington D.C. ranks at the top for worst traffic congestion amongst other cities in the United States of America. However, it's not just the city Washington D.C. itself, it is the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. This area is known as the Washington Metropolitan area and it is home to an estimated 5,582,170 people. The D.C. area is not at all that big only measuring out to a grand total of 962.9 square miles. This is very problamatic because it yields to the overcrowding of the roads in the nation's capital. Another problem is road system itself. The D.C. Metropolitan area has too few interstate and intrastate connectors connecting the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. This is directly attributed to a sharp increase in traffic within the past twenty years and the ongoing stagnation of the construction of additional roads and transit alternatives. (4)
In order to correct these problems, several citizen-deliberative groups have formed. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCG) is an example of this and they have been working in conjunction with the D.C. Transportation Planning Board (TPB) to find new ways to alleviate Metro D.C. traffic. (2)
Another group: The Citizen Transportation Forum was created to come up with ideas to also solve the problems of traffic congestion in and around Washington, D.C. The purpose of this forum is to get citizens to come together and voice their opinions on how they think congestion on local highways can be reduced so people can travel more efficiently.
History
With the construction and connection of the Interstate system in the 1950's, 60's, and 70's, Washington D.C. has experienced an increase in traffic. A transit system, and busing system were also put in place to increase municipal city commerical income and revenue. In the 1980' and 90's, the interstate system expanded substantially as well as the busing and subway systems. This has led to an increasing rate in commerce but led to more and more congestion as well. The Transportation Planning Board was created in 1965 in the DMV region's state and local governments to respond to federal highway legislation in 1962 that required the establishment of a continuing, comprehensive, and cordinated transportation planning process in every urbanized area in the United States. (2)
At the time of the initiative, congestion was at its worst and a more efficient transportation network is almost non-existent. Traffic congestion has always been a problem in the area of Washington, D.C. now because many people commute into the city daily for their occupations. AmericaSpeaks as well as the Transportation Planning Board decided to work in conjunction with one another in trying to come up with many different solutions on this issue.
Originating Entities and Funding
The initiative is being organized by AmericaSpeaks and funded by the National Capitol Region Transportation Planning Board at the Metropolitan Washington Council.
AmercaSpeaks was founded in 1995 by Dr. Carolyn J. Lukensmeyer and has given citizens in authentic voice in local, regional, and national decision-making issues of the day. They are a non-partisan, non-profit organization based out of Washington D.C. They are one of many examples of the 21st Century Town Meetings in the world today and one of thier goals is to create a national infrastructure on deliberation. (1)
The National Transportation Planning Board is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization, and plays an important role as the regional forum for transportation planning. The TPB prepares plans and programs that the federal government must approve in order for federal-aid transportation funds to flow to the Washington region. (1)
Participant Recruitment and Selection
At the local level, people are selected by thier own personal choice. Since many people travel to D.C. from the surrounding states, people from Northern Virginia, Suburban Maryland and the District of Columbia are being recruited to participate in the forums. The citizens encouraged the most are those who use the public roads on a daily bases or are influenced by the congestion. The organizers are looking for a mix of people of different ages, backgrounds and experiences that live in the D.C. Maryland, and Virginia area. Those who want to participate can fill out a form and send it to the program director who will eventually get in touch with them to let them know if they have been chosen.
Accessibility for all citizens of the DC area to participate in the forums is key to fair and equal citizen participation. To this end, participants are being offered a $100 stipend to take part.
Citizens can learn about the meetings through the AmericaSpeaks website and advertisement around the DC area.
Methods and Tools Used
Deliberation, Decisions, and Public Interaction
The deliberation process is an example of the 21st Century Town Meetings and this is a process of five meetings held in Virginia, DC and Maryland throughout October to January. The participants are able to apply to which meeting they would like to participate in. Each meeting will be four hours long and held in a central location. The purpose of these community conversations so to speak are to get hundreds or thousands of people involved in an engaging topic so that full articulation of an issue can be acheived. Moreover, these meetings are to be powerful and engaging that articulate the group's priorities on critical organization, local, state or national policies.
Once the five meetings are over the The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board at the Metropolitan Washington Council will come together as well as representatives from local governments; state transportation agencies; and federal authorities, with all the ideas and input from the participants and will chose the solution that seems most effective and economically efficient. The Transportation Planning Board has an extensive public involvement process, and provides a 30-day public comment period before taking direct action on plans and programs.
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
AmericaSpeaks: To be determined (project still in process). (1)
TPB: Over hundreds of resolutions enacted since 2005. Six year transportation improvement program (TIP) made significant changes to the D.C. Metropolitan area transportation infrasturucture. The following years show thier major projects.
2006: D.C. I-295/I-395 beltway interchange reconstruction
2007: VA I-66 WB-Beltway lane improvements. I-95/I-295 Eads st-Garrisonville rd HOV lane added from 2 to 3. HOT Bus Lanes now installed. Transit Service Plan enacted-Over hundreds of new bus routes to be through 2010, 2020, and 2030. Thousands of new parking spaces to be built with new Park and Ride Facilities.
2008: VA I-495 Capital Beltway HOV-HOT Lanes. Installation of more HOV and tolling lanes as well as auxillary lanes connecting exits to other major highways in Virginia and Maryland. Total transit revision of HOV and HOT bus lanes.
2009: Plans delayed five years.
2010: MD I-70/I-270-Beltway. Installation of a Metro Station to connect commute from I-70 to the D.C. Beltway.
The TPB has effectively made changes to the Metropolitan D.C. infrastructural landscape within the past 7 years. They are responsible with AmericaSpeaks in conjunction with the states' government for the continuation of the improvement of new transportation reform in the D.C. Metropolitan area. New resolutions are currently in place to be put into action by these groups all the way up to the year 2018. (3)
Analysis and Lessons Learned
The purpose of the Citizens Transportation Forums is to bring together a random sample of residents in order to get views on a variety of different ideas. One criticism that may rise is that people will take advantage of the survey for the $100 stipend and people may participate that are really not interested at the topic at hand. Also the meetings limit the meetings to two per person which limits the number of participation of active interested people.
Another criticism is that the TPB and AmericaSpeaks are two different enitites and may have conflicting viewpoints on an issue; higher ups in the state government can pass legislation that only appeals to thier own personal interests as opposed to fully recognizing other arguments from the everyday commuters. The meetings are way too few (only 5) and are stretched out from early October all the way to late January. Funding will always be an issue to take in consideration since these organizations are strictly non-profit.
Secondary Sources
1. http://americaspeaks.org/trafficcongestion/ [DEAD LINK]
3. http://www.mwcog.org/clrp/projects/tip/
4. http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/00
Location: Washington DC area
Sponsoring Organization: The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board at the Metropolitan Washington Council
Issue Area: Traffic Congestion
Method(s): 21st Century Town Meetings
Start Date: October 15, 2011
End Date: January 21, 2012
Ongoing? Yes
Number of Participants: Varies
Staff Type: Planning board for transporation in DC
Kind of Influence: Communicative Influence, Stipend
Participant Selection: Online Application
Communication Mode: Deliberate
Facilitation: Yes
Decision Method(s): Voting
Geographical Scope: State
Kind of Sponsoring Entity: State Government
Kind of Implementing Entity: State Government, Local Government